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Showing posts from February, 2024

Myanmar Update 2: EAOs against the Junta

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As of October of 2023, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), which is a collection of ethnic armed groups based in the region of Kokang on the border with China, has launched a powerful offensive against the Junta. They, alongside the ethnic Karen, one of the largest minorities in Myanmar, have united and worked together to oppose the military regime. The so-called "Three Brotherhood Alliance" has been incredibly successful in its attacks against the Junta, and together they show the determination of the ethnic groups in their struggle for democracy. These victories have helped them gain momentum, increase public support, and broaden participation from volunteers and recruits. However, ethnic diversity within the rebel forces continues to be a point of concern.  Despite constant Junta airstrikes, the Karen have successfully constructed a church in southeast Myanmar, which shows not only community growth and establishes religious unity, but also challenges the...

Information on Debate and Office Hours

Hi delegates! I hope you have had a smooth research process thus far! As we count down the days until BMUN 72, I wanted to check in to remind you of some important dates, announcements, and opportunities we have for you. Debate As we near the start of BMUN 72, I wanted to refer you to our Conference Policies page. Here you will find all of our policies on awards, plagiarism, pre-written resolutions, electronic use, dress code, and harassment . Please take the time to read through this page as the maintenance of these policies are critical to ensuring a positive BMUN experience for all– and be sure to email us any questions you may have. Office Hours Last but not least! Office hours!! In case all the blog posts and emails have been daunting, we hope you will sign up for office hours to chat with us for a bit! Office hours are a great opportunity to ask us any questions or receive feedback on your position papers! The link to sign up for office hours can be found here and on our commit...

Tips for Solutions

  Hi delegates! As BMUN grows nearer, I wanted to offer some advice on your solutions and what our dais expects for committee!  Before diving into the different types of solutions we are hoping to see in committee, I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit our learning goals and expectations for research in hopes that your solutions end up addressing these key points: What must happen before the NUG can confidently and effectively lead Myanmar? What does democracy look like, and how is it created? How can Myanmar move forward while working with and allowing greater ethnic representation? What does a path for peace look like between the Tatmadaw and the NUG? Please keep these learning goals in mind when forming solutions! They are key points we want you to address!  Need stepping off points to start thinking about solutions? Start at the synopsis! As you read, highlight key issues that need to be addressed as well as ways they have been addressed in the past. From here...

Speech Content & Public Speaking Tips!

 Hi Delegates! As BMUN is just around the corner, I wanted to provide you all with some tips on how to deliver great speeches during conference weekend and beyond!  When it comes to the content of your speeches, here's a few suggestions we hope will be helpful:  Find a balance between too vague versus too specific in your speeches. Many times delegates run into the problem of the former where they will present ideas that are not really contributing much substance to the discussion at hand because of how general they are. So include details in your speeches so they are a bit more grounded and reflect the effort you've put into coming up with the ideas within your speech. However, at the same time you want to make sure you're not too specific to the point where no one is able to follow the content of your speech.  It is always a great idea if you can, to refer to other delegates/their ideas to show you're an active listener and able to reflect (whether in agreement or ...

Myanmar Crisis Update: NUG & Rohingya

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Within the Sagaing Region and Chin State, the NUG is working to unite older ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) with newer People Defense Forces (PDF) and Chinland Defense Force. Amidst the pursue to promote unity, they continue to face extreme difficultly in these collaborative efforts, as the majority of these groups prefer operating as individual bodies and carrying out independent work. The NUG’s decreasing power and lack of control has led to various repercussions including multiple killings of innocent individuals accused of being junta informants, and having a poor and low weapon supply. Officials have reported that their biggest weakness in the Spring Revolution has been the small resource pool of weapons, with supplies fulfilling only 20-25% of what is needed and the majority of these weapons being manufactured at home. That being said, defense against larger military offenses and violent outbreaks by the junta continues to remain a prominent issue in Myanmar's current sta...

Procedure and Committee Flow

  Hi Delegates! I wanted to check in with you to provide some more insight to how our committee is going to work at BMUN 72. Myanmar Spring Revolution will be using BMUN Crisis Procedure .  Our committee will begin by opening a round robin to introduce portfolio powers and general positions on the topic (standard speaking time is 30 seconds). This is the default timing for the Round Robin and can be amended if agreed upon by the committee. Following this round robin, we will enter a perpetual moderated caucus with 1 minute speeches. This is the default procedure for crisis committees, and motions and other procedures can interrupt the perpetual moderated caucus. Delegates are expected to draft directives during this time as well as any informal/unmoderated caucuses that come up. We also ask that if an unmoderated caucus is proposed, it is accompanied by a topic to help frame and focus the discussion. To present and vote on directives, we will not need to move into voting bloc...

VC Introduction: Tanirika

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 Hello! My name is Tanirika Singh and I am so excited to be on the dais of the Myanmar committee this year!  I'm currently a senior majoring Molecular & Cellular Biology with a concentration in Neurobiology. Despite having spent 7 years now being involved in MUN, every year brings its own excitement and I'm really excited to meet you all very soon! Beyond BMUN, I'm a researcher in the School of Optometry on campus and also spend time volunteering at the local hospital with patients. In my down time, I love spending time with my friends exploring new places to eat in the Bay, history museums to visit, and hikes to bookmark, and following F1 racing.   I can't wait to meet you all very soon! Having once been a delegate here at BMUN and now chairing, this conference is a full-circle moment for me. I genuinely look forward to hearing all of your ideas and hope to make this committee a memorable experience for you all! In the meantime, most definitely do not hesitate t...

Introduction Danielle Nguyen

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Hiii everyone!  My name is Danielle Nguyen and for this year’s BMUN 72 session I will be a vice-chair for the Myanmar Crisis Committee.  Currently, I am a first year student intended to double major in Nutritional Sciences as well as Public Health! Sustainability and the environment has been a huge passion of mine, as I enjoy thrifting, going to flea and farmers markets, volunteering at the Berkeley Student Food Collective, and cooking up and developing healthy recipes that are both plant-based and delish!  This is my first year in BMUN, but I was a delegate for four years throughout high school. Most of the committees I’ve been involved in in the past have been centered around food insecurity, climate change, and biodiversity preservation. Just recently, I’ve delved into exploring crisis committees and have been in love ever since! I'm super excited to see how this committee runs in March and can’t wait to be a part of this experience with you all! I love MUN because I b...

Vice Chair Introduction

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  Hi, delegates! My name is Kidd Stablein (pronouns he/him), and I'll be one of your vice-chairs for the best BMUN 72 committee, Myanmar Spring Revolution! I can't wait to meet all of you and help make one of the best crisis stories BMUN has ever seen! First, let me tell you a little about me. I'm a junior studying political science and history from Laguna Beach, CA. Before you need to ask, yes, I am part of the 90% of political science majors who wish to do law, and I'm in the midst of applications right now, so if you're curious as to just how bad the legal grind is, feel free to ask. Outside of academics, I promise I'm more interesting. I love to skate, and Berkeley is a great place to do it. I also love cooking and baking. It feels like I've been doing MUN since the first meeting of the UN in 1946, but in reality, it's been ten years. I now mostly only chair, but competing in crisis was by far my favorite part of MUN, so I hope you bring your A-game ...

Position Paper Tips

  Hi delegates! Just wanted to check in and offer a bit more guidance on your position papers. As a reminder, MYANMAR will be using standard crisis position paper format detailed on the BMUN Website   Besides the general format, we wanted to offer some tips on the research process and the formation of your paper.  Research: Getting a grasp of the Topic:  Committee Synopsis: Start by thoroughly reading the MYANMAR Synopsis. This document outlines the topic, its key aspects, relevant historical context, and questions that lead to potential solutions.   The synopsis is a great place to start when looking for research on the topic and your character. Outside research It’s important not just to reiterate the synopsis; it is only the beginning of fully understanding the topic. Think of the synopsis as a stepping stone towards the research necessary to achieve a quality position paper. Additional Research: Conduct further research outside the synopsis on the ongo...

Introductions! Joanna Bai

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 Hi everyone! My name is Joanna Bai (pronouns she/her) and I will be one of your vice chairs for Myanmar Spring Revolution! I'm super excited to get to know all of you through BMUN and wanted to share a little about myself in this post.  I am currently a freshman at Berkeley double majoring in Society & Environment (which is like a mix between environmental science and public policy) and Conservation and Resource Management, looking to go into environmental law. I'm super passionate about the environment, especially in researching topics like climate change and human impacts on global ecosystems. If you would ever like to strike up a conversation or ask a question about those topics, I could go on for hours😅. I'm also originally from Irvine, CA, but I love Berkeley and exploring all the cool restaurants around campus. If you ever need any food recommendations, feel free to ask!  I've been attending MUN conferences since middle school, so I have about 7 years of exp...

Welcome Post + Expectations

Hi delegates! We are so excited to welcome you to BMUN 72 and the Myanmar Spring Revolution committee. In this committee, you will be discussing the impact of Myanmar's Spring Revolution surrounding military rule in Myanmar, steps to democracy, and the representation of ethnic groups in government . This blog will act as our committee’s more informal avenue for discussion and communication before the conference– and we’d love to see you interact with it! The purpose of this blog is to (1) allow you to actively engage with the content of this committee and (2) give you all the opportunity to learn about other countries’ policies before the debate actually starts. You can post comments on posts that we make and write about literally anything relevant to the topics at hand! For example, if you’ve found follow-up content or research you’d like to share, would like to discuss your country’s opinion on the topic, or have other ideas in mind, this blog is the place for that! Please write...

Head Chair Introduction

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Hi delegate! My name is Eric Ho, and I will be your head chair for the Myanmar Spring Revolution! I'm super excited to see and meet all of you in a few short weeks. My dais and I will be giving a quick introduction about ourselves in different posts so you can get to know us a little bit outside of the BMUN context! I'm a sophomore studying electrical engineering and computer sciences (EECS) from Irvine, California. I'm interested in software engineering and machine learning, but ChatGPT continues to impress and make me feel less useful as a programmer each day, so we'll see how the industry and future reacts to these large language models.  I've been involved in MUN for seven years now, and as a competitor of BMUN in the past, I know the excitement that comes with this conference. I hope that you all make the most of your time and enjoy the weekend! Please feel free to reach out to us at  myanmarbmun72@bmun.org Best,  Eric Enjoying views and times with BMUN friends...